The Pew Research Center just released results from a survey measuring knowledge of basic science knowledge in the US. Not surprisingly, Americans scored a C on average. But one of the 12 questions really baffled us: It asked participants to identify the definition of astrology, which isn’t a science. Astrology is a well-known pseudoscience linking…
The word “homophobia,” when broken down, roughly means being scared of homosexuals. Its loaded suffix suggests that it’s a clinical term, just as arachnophobia refers to people with a fear of spiders. Gregory M. Herek, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis who has studied LGBT prejudice for decades, argues that the words…
Mutant lice sound like the star of a low-budget horror film, but they’re a real problem being found around the nation. These insects’ mutations seem to make them resistant to someover-the-counter treatmentstypically used to get rid of lice, sold under brand names including Elimite and Nix. While some treatments are no longer effective in some…
When Venus Williams takes on her sister Serena in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Sep. 8, few will be able to tell that she’s also battling a chronic disease. In 2011, the elder Williams sister was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that dries out the mouth and eyes, and can also sap strength and cause joint and muscle…
After Stuart Anderson quit his job at Twitter last year, he needed a project to occupy himself. For years, he and sculptor Shaun Slifer, his roommate, had talked about creating a penny crusher—Slifer has collected souvenir pennies since childhood. Anderson decided it was finally time. READ MORE This article was originally published in the December…
Engineers Ryan Sipes and Joshua Montgomery wanted their makerspace in Lawrence, Kansas, to be more intuitive. So they borrowed an artificial intelligence system from other makers and used it to do simple tasks, such as controlling the lights or playing music. Then they realized they could create a better one—and sell it. READ MORE This…
Twenty-five years ago, artist Theo Jansen built a new life-form. Made of PVC pipes and zip ties, his strandbeest (Dutch for “beach beast”) walked along a beach under wind propulsion. Since then, Jansen has created many more beests and inspired a small army of imitators. “The perfect strandbeest is a specimen that lives on its…
By Steph Yin and Rebecca Harrington READ MORE
In 1953, people had yet to see a close-up image of Mars. But that didn’t dim the prospect of one day living there. In March of that year, Popular Sciencefeatured a plan—developed by a graduate student with the input of government scientists—outlining how 33 earthlings might one day live on the Red Planet. READ MORE…
WHAT IT IS…AND HOW TO USE IT TO SCARE TRICK-OR-TREATERS
Rebecca Harrington 